Tata Harrier vs Hyundai Alcazar turbo-petrol AT real-world efficiency compared

If you’re in the market for a premium midsize turbo-petrol SUV, the Tata Harrier and Hyundai Alcazar come across as solid options. While the former is a 5-seater, the latter gets an additional 2 seats. Though the SUVs aren’t direct rivals to each other, they come with 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engines and have overlapping price ranges. Here we’ve compared the real-world fuel efficiency figures of both SUVs in turbo-petrol automatic guise to determine the more frugal one.

Explore full specs, features and a price breakdown in our Harrier vs Alcazar comparison.

Tata Harrier vs Hyundai Alcazar turbo-petrol: Specification and price

Both the Harrier and Alcazar turbo-petrol are powered by 1.5-litre engines. While the former’s turbo-petrol unit is mated to a 6-speed torque converter, the latter utilises a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT). As for their power figures, the Harrier develops 10hp and 27Nm of torque more than the Alcazar. Both have 50-litre fuel tanks.

Tata Harrier vs Hyundai Alcazar turbo-petrol: Real-world fuel efficiency

In our tests, the Alcazar outperformed the Harrier in overall efficiency by 0.91kpl. In the city, the Hyundai was 1.55 kpl more efficient, while the gap narrowed to 0.27 kpl on the highway. A reason why mileage figures in the city have a substantial gap is that while both SUVs come with an 'Eco' mode that prioritises efficiency, only the Alcazar gets an idle stop/start function, helping it be the more efficient one here. Being the more frugal one here, the Alcazar also goes 512km on a single tank of fuel, while the Harrier goes 466.5km. 

Autocar India’s fuel-efficiency testing

Before our real-world fuel-efficiency tests, we fill our test cars’ tanks to the brim and maintain tyre pressures based on the manufacturer’s recommendations. These cars are driven in fixed city and highway loops in and around Navi Mumbai, and we maintain certain average speeds. Throughout the tests, there is only one person in each car, operating the air conditioner and other electricals, such as the audio system, indicators and wipers, when required, just like a regular user would. Periodic driver swaps further neutralise variations in driver patterns. At the end of each cycle, we calculate efficiency by filling the tanks to full again.

All prices are ex-showroom, India.